


Interesting Times

by Angel Grace (angel_grace01)



Category: MacGyver (TV)
Genre: Abusive Relationship, First Kiss, M/M, Unrequited Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-09-08
Updated: 2013-09-08
Packaged: 2017-12-26 01:11:50
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,301
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/959825
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/angel_grace01/pseuds/Angel%20Grace
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Chinese have this curse: ‘May you live in interesting times’. Pete's in an abusive relationship and Mac does what he does best: he rescues him. Of course that's only the beginning of the story.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Interesting Times

**Author's Note:**

> I recently saw a rerun of MacGyver. Pure childhood sentimentality, it reminded me I still had this story hanging around my harddrive. It's not beta'd and I'm aware there are some problems with it, but since there is so little MacGyver fic out there, I figured I'd publish it anyway.

‘The Chinese have this curse: ‘May you live in interesting times’. It may not sound like a curse to the casual observer, but after three months of constant excitement – either on assignment for the Phoenix foundation or helping friends – was I more than ready for some boredom. I’d seen so little of my place recently… there was a good chance that my landlady mistook me for a burglar and called the cops on me. 

So you can imagine I wasn’t overly thrilled to find Pete on my doorstep when I got in from getting groceries.’

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

“Mac…” Pete straightened from where he’d been leaning against the door.

“No Pete. Just… No.” Mac threw up his grocery-free arm, subconsciously noting how the older man cringed away from the motion. Fishing out his keys, Mac opened his door and virtually ran inside. So what if he left the door open behind him? It wasn’t like he wanted to evade Pete, he just wasn’t interested in anything ‘exciting’ right now.

Pete was surprisingly hesitant to follow him inside, almost skittish. “Mac, just hear me out.”

“No Pete. No favours. No quick ‘in-and-out’s’, no ‘What could go wrong’. I’m serious buddy.” Mac stepped up to his friend. Peter stumbled back, tripping over his own feet. MacGyver reached out to steady him, but Pete wrenched himself away, barely suppressing a yelp of pain.

“Pete, what…?” Mac grabbed a firm hold of Pete’s wrist and lifted up his sleeve. Angry looking bruises mottled his arm. 

“It’s nothing. I tripped and hit my arm on a table. Mac…”

That must have been quite the table. Mac silently fitted his hand over the marks. A perfect handprint. He looked up into the shuttered eyes of his older friend. “Pete…”

“Jeeze, Mac. Don’t be such a mother hen. It’s nothing. Look, you don’t have to do anything. It’s a fundraiser. Wait!” Pete stopped him from answering. “It would really mean a lot to me if you could come. Please, Mac. Samantha will be there as well.” Thornton attempted to sweeten the deal, mentioning the foundation’s new PR-consultant. Blonde, smart, and definitely interested in the freelance trouble shooter.

Mac studied his friend. Samantha held no interest to him, she had less personality than a rock, but Pete… “Are you going?” Mac queried.

“Yeah.” Pete’s sigh sounded profoundly tired. Something was definitely wrong with this man and MacGyver didn’t like what this was all adding up to.

“Fine Pete. I’ll come. But you’ll owe me big time. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have some lasagne waiting to be prepared.” Mac had to get some private time to contemplate what he’d learned just now.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Mac stared at his congealing lasagne. Somehow, the food tasted like cardboard. 

Pete Thornton. 

His friend was in trouble, Mac was sure of it. What did he know?

Pete had started seeing someone, some six months ago. He’d been incredibly discreet, but Mac know the signs when his friend was in love. Still, something had been different this time. Pete had seemed so… guilty about it all. Perhaps she’d been married. If her husband had found out, it would explain the bruises. But not the flinching. Besides, Pete would never break up a marriage. There was something hauntingly familiar about the way Pete’d reacted, but the hints just wouldn’t click into place to form a whole picture. Perhaps, if he saw Pete at the fundraiser, he’d know.

Mac sighed. Oh joy. The monkey suit was gonna have to come out.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The fundraiser was the usual affair. Mac held a flute of tepid champagne, barely sipped. He just didn’t have a taste for alcohol. He’d have tossed the vile potion in one of the potted plants that were so abundantly present, if he weren’t so afraid to kill the poor thing off. Pete was shining with absence. It wasn’t like the CEO of the Phoenix Foundation. Anything that would gain money for the foundation’s many charities had the man’s full support. This was what Pete did best: schmooze a conscious out of people that had very few scruples otherwise. Mac on the other hand, was the go-to-guy if anything needed done or fixed.

They complimented each other, like a one-two punch. That’s why Mac was worried. Pete knew better than to throw him in with the wolves. This could and would cost them funds.

With a sigh of relief, MacGyver saw his friend enter the room. Again, he was struck by how much the man had aged in the last six months or so. Pete looked positively haggard. Yet, even as he watched, Mac could see Pete don his ‘public mask’ and start schmoozing money out of the affluent. How often had his friend done this? Hidden himself?

He caught Pete’s eye and waved. A grateful smile was his reward, but then Pete looked over his shoulder and flinched.

Mac followed Pete’s line of sight, but all he could see was Ben McKinley talking to some investors. MacGyver frowned. How did that creep get invited to this fundraiser? He worked in bookkeeping, but this guy was unlike most accountants Mac had met, who were gentle, unobtrusive and more concerned with figures than people. Ben had a habit of acting entitled and arrogant, not to mention becoming aggressive whenever anything didn’t go his way. Apparently, he mostly traded on his good looks. Mac shuddered. He’d even been told by more than one woman at the office that they were quite similar in looks: blond, tall and tanned. He personally didn’t see the resemblance.

MacGyver set to study Peter Thornton as he worked the room. Like a social butterfly, he flitted from one person to the next, his movements becoming more nervous as the night advanced. 

Like two positively charged magnets, Mac and Pete seemed unable to touch base for the entire evening. Eventually, Mac grew tired of the dance. He’d spent his entire evening avoiding Samantha, who’d had too much to drink and tried to join him inside his tuxedo. The woman was a veritable octopus and determined to boot. At the same time he’d been pestered by countless socialites with too much time and money on their hands… and no scruples at all.

So he laid a trap. A few judicious pushes shoved one of the large banana plants next to the entrance to the cloakroom. Good thing those pretentious planters had wheels under them. After that, it was a simple matter of manoeuvring Mrs Bartesh closer with inane chatter of her many cats. Mac actually liked the widow, she truly cared about people. She was also one of the few people Pete hadn’t spoken with. Since the fundraiser was drawing to a close, he was bound to search her out. Once in position, he drew Earl Windom into the conversation. He was a recent widower that, as far as Mac was concerned, would make a fine companion for Mrs Bartesh. After all, the man had various felines strolling round his house as well. Lure in place, MacGyver stepped behind the concealing foliage and waited.

Soon, his prey approached. Mac had to admire Pete’s technique. He used just the right mix of begging, gentle persuasion and downright emotional blackmail as he spoke to the two people in front of him.

Of course, both the earl and Mrs Bartesh quickly agreed to donate a – to Mac – staggering amount.

Soon, Pete was bidding them farewell. This was Mac’s cue, now it all came down to timing.

Drawing the executive to him, Mac covered his mouth with the other. Pete went completely rigid, before he started to struggle. By then Mac had manoeuvred them both into the cloakroom, so he released the man, taking note of his wide eyes and rapid breathing.

“Pete…” Whatever MacGyver wanted to say was cut off by Pete’s hiss.

“Mac, what the hell do you think you’re doing?”

“Pete…” He tried again, raising his hands calmingly.

“For god’s sake man, I know you’re used to rubbing shoulders with a bunch of uncivilised savages and miscreants, but for once show some decorum!” Pete’s voice never rose above a whisper, but the utter rage and… vitriol on the man’s face as he marched away struck Mac dumb.

This wasn’t the friend he’d known for ages. The Pete he knew, could and would reprimand him whenever he did something the man considered outrageous or stupid, but is tone, his turn of phrase, it’d been vicious. Designed to hurt! Mac never knew Pete felt that way. Then again, he’d recently had ample proof of how easily his friend, or rather his employer, donned a mask in the public eye, expertly hiding his true feelings.

It wasn’t until the door opened and one of the wealthy invitees wandered in, looking for their coats, that Mac realised he’d been staring at the same floor tile for the last forty minutes, contemplating a lifetime of what he’d considered friendship.

Dazed, Mac made his way outside, the night air clearing his head. He made his way to the back of the building. He’d parked his jeep there, so as to not offend the donators with his ‘uncivilised’ vehicle.

The Phoenix building had a small amount of rather dense shrubbery to its side and back. Due to this cover, Mac never saw the rest of the parking lot until he was nearly on top of his own car. 

Shouting drew his attention. Hang on, was that Pete? And… Ben McKinley. They must have left just before him. Mac couldn’t help but follow the conversation.

“Please Ben, it wasn’t like that. You have to believe me. I didn’t…” Pete was pleading.

“You didn’t what? Didn’t sneak off with HIM?” Ben snarled, advancing on a cringing Pete.

“It wasn’t like that. Ben…”

“Shut up you whore!” McKinley viciously hit Peter in the face, dropping the older man to the ground.

Afterwards, Mac was never sure whether he’d walked around his car, or just went over it. In the next instant, he’d positioned himself between Pete, who’d rolled into a ball knowing what would happen next, and McKinley, who had his foot already poised to deliver a harsh blow to the fallen man.

“Oh, so NOW your boyfriend comes to the rescue.” Ben sneered and drew back his fist to deliver a blow to MacGyver instead.

Like most bullies, he had no technique and Mac easily deflected the blow, delivering a few of his own to the asshole’s gut.  
True to the form of most abusers, this made him beat a hasty retreat, yelling “Fine, you keep him. He’s a lousy fuck anyways!” for a parting shot.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Mac turned to his fallen friend. Yes, they were still friends. A lot of things were starting to make sense now, and Mac’s heart bled for the older man. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the only blood in this scene.

“Pete?” Mac knelt by the man’s side.

“Don’t Mac. Please, I can’t…” Pete’s voice was choked, but Mac didn’t know if it was because of emotion, or because he was bleeding from both his nose and mouth.

“Shhh Pete, it’s alright. C’mon, let me take you home.” He gently directed him to the passenger side of his jeep.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The drive was made in silence, Pete pressing a handkerchief to his face.  
“Mac? This isn’t my place.” Pete looked up at the apartment.

“I know. I figured my place would be a more neutral place to talk. C’mon, let’s get you some ice for that.”

Peter Thornton, the man who’d faced war and destitution with the same equanimity, seriously considered turning tail and running off for all he was worth. No, Mac deserved answers, even if they could and would cost him the man’s friendship.

Going up the stairs felt like climbing Mount Everest, but was over too soon. Mac grabbed a bunch of icecubes, crushed them into a plastic bag and handed them, wrapped in a towel, to Pete.

“Mac…”

“Look Pete, take your coat off, get comfortable on the couch. I’ll get you something to drink.”

Mechanically Pete obeyed, sitting rigidly on a corner of the couch.

Mac sighed when he returned with his cups of coffee. It was clear they needed to clear the air before Pete would be able to unwind.  
“Look Pete, whatever it is, we’ll be fine. We’ve been friends for so long, we’ll get though this.” Mac sat down on the couch next to him and squeezed his arm.

All Pete could think was ‘this is the last chance I’ll ever get’ and unconsciously relaxed into the touch. 

“I first met Ben after I came back from my visit to Germany.” Pete shook his head. “He nearly hit me with his motorcycle arriving at the foundation. For a second, from the distance, I thought you’d gotten yourself a new bike. He looked that much like you with his blond hair and tan leather jacket. I should have known then and there he was trouble.”

“But it went differently.” Mac encouraged him.

“Yeah,” Pete nodded, “He saw me staring and walked up to me. We got to talking and…” his voice trailed off.

“And what?” Mac encouraged him with another gentle squeeze to his arm.

Pete gave a wry smile. “He told me everything I wanted to hear. Played me like a violin. All lies. He must have made an in-depth study of me, my likes and weaknesses. And I fell for it. For him.”  
Pete looked up at Mac, who sat quietly listening. He swallowed. “I’m… I’ve been… with men before. Like that. But this was the first time I… and it was ok at first, it really was, but then I made a mistake and he got more and more violent and more and more demanding. He wanted me to introduce him into the higher circles, so he could… I don’t know. But it was never good enough. I was never good enough.” Pete slumped forward, head in hands. “You must think me a pervert, Mac. I never… I couldn’t… I…”

“Pete.” Mac’s warm hand came to rest against his tense back. “I could never think any less of you. Love is love. The packaging isn’t THAT important. I’m your friend, that’s not going to change. I just have one question. Are you gonna stop seeing him?”

Pete remained silent.

“Pete? It’s not a difficult question. He hurts you, has done so before and will do so again. What on earth could compel you to stick with him? Love is blind, but it can’t be this blind.”

“Mac, you don’t understand. He would tell… It would be the end of me. I can’t loose…”

“Pete, listen to me. He can’t make your relationship public without outing himself as well. He’s to concerned with social standing to risk it.”

Pete was shaking his head.  
“I don’t care about that. I’m too old to be a careerchaser. If it got to be too bad, I could always retire. No, if Ben wanted to break me, he’d know just who to talk to.”

“Then take the power away from him. Tell the secret, whatever it is, to whoever it concerns. I know you Pete. It can’t be as horrible as you imagine. Please, set yourself free from that bastard. Please.”

Pete looked into his friend’s earnest face. “You have no idea, Mac. You really don’t.”

MacGyver wasn’t a fool. “Does it have anything to do with the ‘mistake’ you made, the one that caused his violent behaviour to escalate?”

Pete closed his eyes and leaned back in his seat, creating distance between the two of them. Perhaps he SHOULD just give in, let this Sword of Damocles fall.

“Ben had… organised some things one evening. He wanted me to take him to the Emmery party, but I didn’t know about his motives at the time. He really tried to be on his best behaviour and I… while we were…” Pete waved his hand, eyes still closed, “You know… I called out a name. Not his.”

“Then who’s? You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to.” Mac’s voice was soft, afraid to startle the other man.

“Yours.” The answer reverberated in the silence that followed. Eventually, Pete dared to open his eyes and look to his side. Mac just sat there, eyes wide. Pete figured he might as well come completely clean, he’d lost his friend anyway. 

“I was drawn to him because he looked a bit like you. At first, he even used the same mannerisms you do. I’m sorry Mac, I’ve felt like this for years, but I wouldn’t…”

“Years?” Mac’s voice was hoarse. “How long… what…”

Pete’s heart broke. So this is what it felt like to perish while still breathing.  
“I never would have acted on it, never even mentioned it.” Pete rose. “Look, I’ll go, ok?” Then, because he had nothing left to loose, he brushed his lips across Mac’s and continued, “I won’t bother you ever again.”

The flighty touch seemed to shake Mac out of his stupor. “Wait!” He jumped up and grabbed Pete’s arm. He knew that if he let his friend walk out of his door now, he’d never see him again. Was he shocked? Sure. He’d never suspected anything. But he was completely certain that he wasn’t willing to let this cost him his best friend.  
“Look Pete, don’t run. I’ll admit, it’s a bit of a shock, but you’re still my friend, that hasn’t changed. I’m gonna need some time to process this, but I don’t want you to think I’m cutting you out, ‘cause I’m not. Ok Pete?”

What else could Pete do? With a sob he grabbed Mac in a bearhug, squeezing him for dear life. For a second, Mac was startled, then his arms came around and he returned his friend’s hug. Pete needed this, this release of tension that had built over the months, this sympathetic shoulder. More than he needed any romantic interest, right here, right now he needed his friend.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

After an undetermined amount of time Mac settled Pete into his spare bedroom. The tension and emotion getting to him, the older man was dead on his feet. Mac on the other hand couldn’t sleep. His mind just couldn’t stop whirling. From experience, he knew he would need to think this through before he was gonna get some sleep.

So. Peter Thornton. One of his oldest and best friends engaged in the company of men. Mac knew this wasn’t a problem as far as he was concerned. He himself had a few friends who… preferred their own gender.

Next issue. Pete was involved in an abusive relationship. Well, that one was a no-brainer. He’d help his friend get rid of the bastard, sooner rather than later. Not a violent man by nature, MacGyver was more than willing to make an exception for this asshole.

Of course, that still left the bombshell Pete had dropped on him. Mac rose and stared out of the window. Pete loved him. Was IN love with him. But how did HE feel about Pete? The man was his friend. That’s a given. More often than not, he was also a bit of a mentor. Mac would feel his loss keenly, should anything happen. But could he think of Pete the way he’d always before thought of women? He didn’t know. Didn’t know whether it was merely a a case of accepting a hidden possibility or a true impossibility. He did know that brush of lips hadn’t repulsed him, even if it did make him feel a funny twist to his stomach.

Mac finally decided that above all else, he’d try to be honest with Pete and with himself. The rest would become clear in the future. His mind at ease, Mac quickly slipped into Morpheus’ grasp.

END

**Author's Note:**

> It may be that I don't know where to look, but there seems to be very little MacGyver slash and most of it is Murdoc related. I of course had to try some other pairing.  
> I realise the ending is quite open. I doubt I'll ever write any more, but for those who wonder... well, I've always been a sucker for the 'and they lived happily ever after', so that's what happens after this fic ends. :-)  
> Hope you enjoyed it... and maybe you'll be inspired to write some of your own?


End file.
